Dinner and a Movie
by thelonelyone
Summary: title explains it... I have no clue where to go from here, but continue the story must...


Dinner and a Movie  
By: thelonelyone  
Disclaimers: I don't own them. If I did, they would have been together a  
long time ago... I'm not making any money off of this: I'm just spending my  
time writing about what us JAG fans should be seeing on the screen... I'm a  
poor college student... I own nothing, so suing me would be a big waste of  
time...  
This is my first fanfic... Hope you enjoy it! Please read and review... the  
more reviews I get, the more I'll write!!  
  
~ * ~ * ~ * ~  
  
When he had noticed that she had walked in, he had been strumming his  
guitar, not fighting the tears that were now streaking down his face.  
"Harm..." She whispered, not wanting to interrupt his thoughts but needing  
him to know she was there.  
He looked up, tears in his eyes, and to her surprise, he didn't even try to  
hide the fact that he had been crying from her.  
"Are you okay? Is everything alright?" She asked, by his side, her hands  
busying themselves with wiping away his tears. "Oh, Harm..."  
He closed his eyes and a tear made its way down his cheek as he said,  
"Nothing kills the pain anymore, Mac. Nothing takes away the pain..."  
She took his guitar out of his hand and put it on the stand as she said,  
"Sometimes, pain lingers until you share it with someone else, until you  
find someone to help you carry the load..."  
He opened his eyes and sighed. "Some days, I wake up and I know I'm alive  
because I can still feel the ache in my chest, the pain in my heart... No  
one deserves to help me through this, Mac, no one..."  
"I want to be the one you turn to, Harm... I want to help you through  
this." She said, taking him by the hand and pulling him away from the  
window.  
"I can't keep hurting you, Mac. Hurting you is killing me..." He replied,  
relaxing as he felt her wrap her arms around him.  
"It's going to hurt me more if you push me away than it will if you let me  
help you chase away your demons and ghosts... I just want to be here for  
you when you come tumbling down..." She couldn't stop the tears from  
falling as she buried her face in his chest.  
He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her on top of the head. "You're  
the one who's always there for me when I come tumbling down... I've never  
needed anyone but you... You're my soft place to fall..."  
She looked up into his emotion-filled eyes, wanting to say so much but  
remaining silent.  
"Help me let go." He whispered as he pressed his lips against hers in a  
soft gentle kiss.  
His alarm clock snatched him to a harsh reality as he sat up and let out a  
sigh. It had been a dream. He hadn't really opened up to her, hadn't  
reached out to her and let her in... He hadn't really kissed her...  
"Damn." He said, tossing the covers off of him and stretching. He'd take a  
quick shower, get dressed, grab a bite to eat, then check on Mattie before  
heading off to work.  
  
JAG HQ  
sometime near noon....  
There was a knock at his door.  
"Enter." He called out, not looking up from his file.  
"Hey, Harm, you ready to talk about the Kenson case?" Mac asked, walking  
into his office and sitting in the chair across from him.  
"Sure. I don't think you have much of a case though. Your client slugged  
her CO in a bar full of witnesses that have all said the attack was not  
provoked. This guy is out with his friends and a junior officer taps him on  
the shoulder, slugs him, picks him up off the floor, and beats the piss out  
of him, Mac. Kenson is 6 foot 8, weighing in at 265, a jarhead with a  
temper versus her CO, who is a foot shorter and a hundred pounds lighter.  
Tell me you're not going to actually expect me to offer you a deal on this  
one..."  
The look on her face informed him that she had been expecting him to do  
just that.  
"Harm, she was drunk. That and from what she has told me, her CO is a jerk  
with a personal grudge against her because she's bigger and better than any  
man under his command. She has an immaculate record, Harm, one any Marine  
would be proud of. Six months confinement, forfeiture of six months pay.  
She has already written a letter of apology and accepts responsibility for  
her actions. Her and Colonel Nelson have talked and he finds said terms  
agreeable." Mac said, smiling at the look on his face.  
"Since when do we talk to each other's clients without the other's prior  
knowledge and consent, Counselor?" He asked, leaning back in his chair and  
closing the file in front of him.  
"Colonel Nelson and I are friends. You know us jarheads stick together.  
He's not too happy about the way things ended up, but he's willing to put  
the incident behind him. He knows Kenson is one hell of a Marine. The girl  
is only 19 and she has seen more combat action than some officers of higher  
rank. She loves her country..." Mac trailed off as she heard him sigh.  
"Fine. Prosecution has no choice but to agree with said terms. We can meet  
in the conference room so that Kenson can give Colonel Nelson a verbal  
apology as well as present him with the letter. Can you have your client  
here in an hour?" He asked, flipping through the Kenson case, looking for  
Colonel Nelson's phone number.  
"Come on. They're already waiting for us." She said, flashing him a small  
smile.  
"Jumpin' the gun, Mac?" He asked, following her out of his office.  
"No. I knew you would be okay with it. Now lets go settle this thing. I'm  
hungry, and you're buying." She said, laughing as he shook his head.  
  
Outside JAG HQ  
1 hour later...  
  
"Mmm... okay, now this is good." She said, taking a bite of her beef and  
provolone sub.  
"Good and fattening... God, Mac, how can you eat that?" He asked, watching  
her take another bite.  
"Harm, I bite, chew, then swallow, much like the rest of the world. I don't  
pick on you for eating rabbit food. Why do you pick on me about what I eat?  
Oh, and before I forget, Mattie and I are going to go see a movie tonight."  
She said, taking a sip of her Snapple.  
"On a school night, Mac?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.  
"Yes, overprotective Dad, on a school night. I'll have her home by 11,  
Harm. I promise. If you want it in writing, draw up a contract and I'll  
sign it in blood." She said, laughing at his reaction.  
"Very cute. So what movie are you taking her to see?" He asked, finishing  
off his salad.  
"The one with the hot naked men, the gratuitous violence, and profanity  
that could make a sailor like you blush. Oh, and sex. Lots and lots of  
sex..." She said, laughing as Harm rolled his eyes.  
"Mac..." He warned. "What movie does she want you to take her to that I  
couldn't take her to?" He asked, finally admitting that he wasn't upset  
about them going to a movie on a school night but that Mattie had asked  
Mac to take her instead of him.  
"A chick flick, Harm. 13 Going on 30. It starts at 8:15 and will be over by  
10. From there, I promised to take her to get some ice cream. And by 11,  
I'll have her home and in the bed. You can wait up if you want." Mac  
smiled, thinking that it was cute how Harm was over Mattie.  
"I trust you, Mac. I just wonder why she'd ask you to take her and not me.  
I would have taken her." The look on his face was one she had seen before:  
he was wounded.  
"Harm, don't take it personal. She's sparing you two hours of teenage girls  
giggling. Look at it this way, you get out of paying for everything for  
once, and you don't have to sit through a movie that has nothing to do with  
the Navy, fighter pilots, or war..." She said, finished with her sub and  
starting on a bag of chips.  
"Well since you put it that way... Oh, promise me you won't let her drive.  
She knows how, and she's going to ask you to let her, but say no. I heard  
her mention to one of her friends the other day that I had a friend who had  
a Corvette she might get to drive." He said, sipping his bottled water.  
"Harm... She's already driven my Corvette." Mac said, anticipating the  
question he was about to spout off.  
"She what? When? Where was I?" He asked, more than a little upset but  
trying to go easy on Mac. After all, Mattie was not completely innocent in  
the matter...  
"A few days ago. I was at your apartment. She caught me before I made it  
inside and asked me if she could drive around your block a few times. I was  
with her, Harm. She drives well for someone who doesn't even have her  
permit." She said, laughing as Harm closed his eyes and let out a sigh. He  
seemed to be doing that a lot lately... sighing...  
"What am I going to do with that girl?" He asked, opening his eyes and  
smiling. "She's too damn much like me..."  
"That's a good thing, Harm. If you want to, you can come with us tonight.  
Mattie had mentioned you coming along as my date since she's bringing a  
friend along..." Mac didn't know if Harm was ready to know about the guy  
Mattie was dating.  
"She's bringing a friend along? A friend as in a guy friend? What else do  
you know that I don't know?" He asked, pleasantly surprised that Mattie and  
Mac had been getting to know each other better.  
"Don't be so paranoid, Harm. Are you coming or not?" She asked, knowing  
that Harm would go just to keep an eye on Mattie and her 'guy friend'.  
"Yeah. Mattie, you, and me can take my car. I assume the boy is meeting us  
there?" He didn't sound too happy about the thought of Mattie and this new  
friend of hers.  
"Yes, he is. I'll be at your place by 7, so have something good waiting for  
me. Something Italian preferably. After dinner we can head to the movies,  
and from there to my favorite place in D.C." She said, standing up and  
leaving him to clean up after her.  
"Hey, Mac?" He called out.  
She turned around and said, "Yeah?"  
"Thanks for making Mattie a part of your life." He said sheepishly,  
flashing her a flyboy smile.  
"Don't mention it. It's my pleasure." With that, she went inside as he  
gathered their trash and threw it away.  
  
Harm's Apartment  
7 o' clock on the dot...  
"I'll get it!" Mattie said, getting up off the couch and running over to  
the door.  
"Hey, Mac! Wow, you look smokin'. Hope my date doesn't dig older women."  
Mattie said, throwing her arms around Mac, who laughed at Mattie's  
comments.  
"You're not looking too bad yourself. Some young man is very lucky..." Mac  
said, smiling at Mattie who motioned for her to keep quiet and follow her.  
"He's been in there an hour. I don't know what he's doing, but two things I  
can promise you. One: when he walks out, he's going to smell great. Two:  
he's going to be the best looking guy within a twenty mile radius of the  
movie theater." Mattie whispered, giggling as she knocked on the door and  
called out, "Mac's here and she looks hungry."  
"Be out in a minute." They heard him answer through the door.  
Mac playfully punched Mattie in the shoulder. "He can hear you, you know?  
And you're only feeding that monstrous ego of his with comments like that."  
"Yeah, well my biology teacher walked into a wall looking at him the other  
day. She tried to give him her digits but he said that he was taken. I  
laughed at him and told him that liar's go to hell." Mattie said, making  
her way over to the oven and taking out the garlic bread.  
"Can I do anything to help?" Mac asked, heading over to the kitchen.  
"Yeah, you can try to convince Harm that you guys should sit at least two  
rows behind me and Brad tonight." Mattie said with a wink, which made Mac  
laugh.  
"Hey, Mac." Harm said, flashing her a smile and looking her over. Her jeans  
hugged every curve and her black turtleneck was just tight enough to call  
attention to her chest.  
"Hey yourself. I'm hungry. Keep me waiting too long and I get ill..." Mac  
replied, laughing as Mattie shook her head. Mac smiled as she glanced over  
at Harm. He was clad in faded blue jeans and a crisp white pocket tee. Harm  
was impressive in a uniform, but he was lethal in a pair of jeans and a t-  
shirt.  
"If you can't smell the food for the heavy scent of Cool Water in the air,  
don't blame me. I told him not to bathe in it." Mattie said, sniffing in  
Harm's direction and faking a few coughs.  
"If you can't hear me tell you that you look great for the screams of a  
teenage girl being thrown out of the window, don't hold it against me."  
Harm said, rolling his eyes but smiling at Mac as he and Mattie set the  
table.  
They began to eat in silence. Harm was the first to speak.  
"So what is this movie about anyway?" He asked, fixing his salad and going  
for a second piece of garlic bread.  
"This girl wishes she was an adult on her 13th birthday and then she wakes  
up 30, successful, and hot. It's not realistic, but I think it has  
potential." Mattie answered, piling spaghetti on her plate.  
"Sounds stupid." Harm said, laughing as Mattie rolled her eyes at him.  
"Anyway, I think it's going to be great. I hope her and that hot guy end up  
together in the end. So yeah, she's best friends with this one guy when  
she's 13, and when she wakes up as the adult, everyone in her world has  
grown up, including that guy. So yeah, she was like crushing on him when  
she was younger, and so somehow they meet up again. The only problem is, he  
hasn't seen her for forever, and yeah, I think the previews mention him  
being engaged to some other girl. It's complicated." Mattie said, in  
between bites.  
"I've seen the previews. I think it will be a cute movie." Mac said, going  
for seconds of everything.  
"Thank you, Mac. Glad somebody around here knows potential when they see  
it... Harm is just upset because they haven't made a sequel to Top Gun. Now  
there's a waste of two hours..." Mattie joked, laughing as Harm shook his  
head.  
"I'll have you know that Top Gun is a classic. They just don't make movies  
like that anymore." Harm said, standing up to clear the table.  
"There's a reason why they stopped making movies like that. Duh, they suck.  
Besides, what is more interesting, being 13 trapped in an adult's life and  
body or being thousands of feet in the air about to nosedive to your death?  
Give me anything but Top Gun.." Mattie said, sticking her finger in her  
mouth, insinuating that Top Gun made her want to vomit.  
Mac laughed and helped them clear the table. It was time for them to go by  
the time they had washed, dried, and put away the dishes.  
Outside of Carmike Cinema  
around 8...  
"There he is." Mattie said, pointing to a tall, handsome boy who looked to  
be a year or two older than Mattie. "His name is Brad. He's in my biology  
class. He's a junior and he plays football. Is he cute or what?"  
"He's cute alright." Mac said, smiling at Mattie and slipping her arm into  
Harm's. "We can meet him after the movie. Take some money, get something to  
snack on and a drink, and go ahead and choose your seats. We'll meet back  
here when the movie is over."  
"Mac. you're the greatest." Mattie said, hugging Mac, then turning to Harm.  
"And you're okay." She added, smiling and hugging him as well.  
She walked over to Brad and they smiled at each other and began talking.  
They went hand in hand up to the concession stand and began pointing to  
what they wanted.  
"She'll be fine, Harm." Mac whispered, knowing that Harm was already  
worrying about Mattie.  
"I know. Let's get something to snack on. I know you can't watch a movie  
without eating." He said, smiling and putting his arm around her shoulder.  
She smiled up at him and remembered what Mattie had said. She had been  
right. One: he did smell great. And two: he was the best looking guy  
around...  
The previews and advertisements had started as Mac and Harm enter the dark  
theater. They chose seats to the back at the top and settled down next to  
each other.  
"You see them?" Harm whispered, his eye searching for Mattie and Brad.  
"Five rows up, down toward the end on the left. Relax, Harm. Just enjoy the  
movie, okay?" She said, slipping her drink into drink holder in the seat  
next to her. She lifted the armrest that was between them and snuggled up  
close to him. He wrapped his arm around her as the movie began.  
Throughout the movie, they laughed and made random comments, just enjoying  
their time together. Despite the fact that the movie was a chick flick,  
Harm had actually enjoyed the movie. The girl in the movie reminded him of  
the Mac that only he had seen, the Mac that was calm, sweet, innocent, and  
funny. He hadn't realized how much he had missed her until now. I wonder if  
she knows just how much I really love her... He thought, standing and exiting  
the theater as the movie ended.  
"Ok, you've got to admit that that was a cute movie." Mac said, smiling at  
him as he shrugged.  
"It wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be." He said, laughing as  
Mac shook her head in disbelief.  
"You laughed just as much as I did, Harm. Now admit it. You enjoyed the  
movie." She said, grabbing him by the hand and pulling him to her.  
"It was ok I guess. It was certainly no Notting Hill or My Best Friend's  
Wedding. Those are the only two chick flicks that I will admit to liking."  
He said, liking the fact that she was putting his arm around her and  
holding his hand.  
"Oh, Harm, shut up. You're a hopeless romantic and I know it. You're the  
eternal optimist, and I bet you even believe that there's someone out there  
for everybody." She said, her warm laughter filling the air and his very  
soul.  
He smiled down at her as he said, "True love survives, Mac. Against all  
odds, it is successful. Love is the life line tossed out at you just in the  
knick of time. It's never giving in or giving up. And, when love is tested,  
it proves to be the one thing that never fails. If believing all of that  
makes me a hopeless romantic, then I'm afraid that I'm guilty."  
His words had struck a nerve. He could tell. Her bright, loving eyes  
darkened a bit and he could see sadness creeping in. She smiled at him  
still, but there was a hint of sadness even in her beautiful smile.  
"Love is nothing unless it is acted upon. I think D.L. Moore said that. I  
don't remember." She said, her eyes bright and her smile full of joy once  
again.  
"What is that supposed to mean?" He asked, his tone serious and  
questioning.  
"Well... If a man loves a woman and never tells her, never acts on what he  
feels, he might as well not even love her. And if a woman loves a man but  
can't tell him, nothing good can come of her feelings. So yeah, love is  
nothing unless it is acted upon." She said, her smile fading as they slowed  
down.  
Now standing still, they simply looked into each other's eyes. He leaned in  
close to her and smiled.  
"I'm acting..." He whispered, pressing his lips to hers in a simple kiss.  
The kiss was over all too quick and Mac felt her heart begin to beat a  
little faster. What just happened? What was he acting on? Impulse? Love?  
She wondered, looking into his eyes. It's now or never... She thought,  
pulling him close to her and pressing her lips to his. The kiss deepened as  
she felt him pulling her closer to him, his hands making their way from her  
shoulders to her waist.  
He felt her tongue glide over his bottom lip and granted it access into his  
mouth. Their tongues dueled for control as she put a hand on his chest.  
They were both breathless and panting when the kiss ended.  
"Mac..." He managed to pant, his eyes full of passion and his face etched  
with hunger and need.  
"We can't do this here... not now. Mattie and Brad are waiting for us." Mac  
reminded him, her voice unsteady and uneven as her breathing slowly  
returned to normal.  
"Where are they at?" He asked, looking around and not seeing the two  
teenagers anywhere.  
"We were supposed to meet them out front when the movie ended. Let's go."  
She said, taking him by the hand and pulling him through the lobby full of  
people waiting, ticket stubs in hand, to see now seating next to their  
movie of choice.  
Mattie stood next to a giant advertisement for a Brad Pitt movie, waiting  
for them. Brad was nowhere to be seen.  
"Hey, what took you guys so long? I've been waiting for ten minutes. Brad's  
mom was already waiting for him when we got out here, so he said he'll meet  
you guys some other time. What gives? Where were you guys?" Mattie asked, a  
hint of a smile playing across her lips.  
"We were the last two people out of the theater." Mac said, slipping away  
from Harm and draping her arm over Mattie's shoulder. "What do you say to  
some triple fudge rocky road?"  
"I say bring it on." Mattie said, throwing her arm around Mac.  
Harm smiled as they headed towards his SUV.  
Inside DQ  
"I'll get us a table. You guys go ahead and order." Harm said, spotting a  
corner booth at the back.  
"You don't want anything?" Mattie asked him, smiling as she noticed the  
look that passed between him and Mac.  
"Nah, not this time. You guys go on and get whatever you want." He said,  
heading over to the booth.  
"He's so stupid." Mattie said, hungrily eyeing the flavors of ice cream  
before her.  
"He'll end up stealing some of mine." Mac said, ordering three scoops of  
death by chocolate.  
"I'll have two scoops of double fudge rocky road" Mattie told the teenager  
behind the counter.  
Mac paid for their ice cream and they both went over to join Harm, Mattie  
taking the seat across from Harm and motioning for Mac to sit next to him.  
Mac smiled and slid in next to Harm.  
"Death by chocolate. Doesn't the name of that give you some clue as to it  
not being good for you, Mac?" He asked, shaking his head and smiling.  
"Don't worry. I grabbed an extra spoon." She said, handing him a napkin and  
a spoon and flashing him a smile.  
"Well, if you insist..." He said, sliding the bowl of ice cream his way.  
"Was I supposed to notice that you guys were sucking face as I walked out  
of the theater or not?"Mattie asked, smiling and giggling.  
Mac laughed and said, "You make a simple kiss sound so vulgar. Sucking  
face? Mattie, where did you hear that term?"  
"Newsflash: I'm in high school. I learn a term a day, sometimes two a day  
if I'm lucky. And if you call that a 'simple kiss', I'd turn red and barf  
if I ever witnessed you to in a full fledged make out session. I mean can  
we say groping and nibbling?" Mattie burst out laughing as Harm closed his  
eyes and mumbled something that sounded indisputably like 'holy shit'.  
"So, what did you think of the movie?" Mac asked, attempting to change the  
subject.  
"Oh, my God, it was the greatest! I thought it was so funny when... hey, wait  
a minute, you changed the subject. I liked the movie just fine, but the  
performance five rows back stole the freakin' show. You guys were all over  
each other. Didn't you hear the giggling and the comments? Joel Beckett  
yelled out 'get a room' and Tommy Crowder yelled 'don't stop, get it, get  
it...' You guys were really into it, huh?" Mattie said, laughing as Mac  
blushed slightly.  
"Anybody say anything else?" Harm asked, amused by the whole situation.  
"Yeah, that Admiral guy I met that one time said something about an article  
something or other... He had a girl from my school with him. He's her uncle I  
think." Mattie said, watching as the color drained from Mac's face and  
Harm's smile faded.  
"Please tell me you're joking..." Harm said, shaking his head in disbelief.  
"No, I'm not joking. He said 'Tell the Commander I said come up for air.'  
Then I talked to Jessica for a minute. Then they left and Brad and I walked  
out to the front. His mom is mad cool. She drives a big body Benz, Harm. It  
came from the factory with 18" chrome rims. How awesome is that?" Mattie  
said, starting in on her second scoop of ice cream.  
"What do you think the Admiral will do?" Mac asked Harm, who had his head  
in his hands.  
"Article something or other." Was his muffled response.  
Mattie gave Mac a concerned look and quietly asked, "Are you guys in  
trouble?"  
"Maybe. Maybe not. It all depends on how much the Admiral saw and what kind  
of mood he is in tomorrow morning." Mac said, sighing and putting her hand  
on Harm's shoulder.  
"Guys, what's the big deal? It's not like you guys were feeling each other  
up in court or anything." Mattie said, trying to get them to laugh.  
"Mattie it's against regulations. This is not good..." Harm said, dejectedly.  
"I was just kidding." Mattie says, bursting out laughing.  
"One word for you Mattie: RUN!!!" Mac said, chasing the squealing teenager  
out into the parking lot.  
Harm laughed as he ran out to find Mac with Mattie in a mock headlock.  
"Okay, okay, I'm sorry... Uncle! Uncle! Aunt? Cousin? Mac!" Mattie yelled,  
laughing as Mac let go of her.  
"You better be glad that I actually like you..." Mac said, laughing as she  
and Mattie got in the SUV.  
"For the record, let's just say that what you just did has to be one of the  
most cruel and unusual pranks ever to be played on me or anyone else I  
know for that matter." Harm said, smiling his usual flyboy smile.  
"You guys should have seen the look on your faces! Ticket: $7.50. Small  
popcorn and a Coke: $4.75. The look on your faces when you guys thought  
you'd been caught making out by that Admiral guy: priceless!" Mattie was  
all giggles as Harm and Mac started laughing. 


End file.
